On fire.

I have so much to do.

Two jobs, eight essays, two books, one project, two events, three tour hours, three grad school applications, two tests: one girl named Shannon. And that is just all I know of so far this month.

At work this past week we had a meeting about burnout and how to avoid it. Contrary to stress, which is mostly physical and involves trying to do too many things in a short amount of time, burnout is mostly emotional, more gradual, and involves not wanting to do any of the things you need to do. I'm not one to get stressed or burned out very easily, but I just wanted to share some of the ways I prevent it... for the rest of you who are in the same boat out there on the rough seas.

1. Exercise. I talk about this all the time but honestly I don't think there is any better way to combat stress and burnout. A lot of people think they don't have time to fit in a workout when they have mountains of homework and classes and meetings, but it doesn't even have to be long! You can find a million 15 minute workouts on YouTube or even get a free app like Nike Training Club that will guide you right through short exercises that can be as simple as stretching. I'm one of those weirdos in the library that always gets up to stretch because just moving your body for five minutes helps you focus better for the other 55 minutes of the hour. Plus, it keeps you healthier which makes it even easier to study!

2. Eat right. You have to fuel your body to be able to get everything done without becoming sleepy and lethargic. And that doesn't mean drinking two bottles of Coca-cola and eating a granola bar. It means taking time out of your day to prepare yourself an actual meal that will make you feel good. Just like exercising, this doesn't have to take a long time either. There are plenty of things you can make quickly that will end up making a huge difference in how you feel and perform. Here's a recipe I got from the Biggest Loser that is amazingly good - and good for you! Even though it sounds like it would be weird.

     1 sweet potato

     4 ounces ground turkey

     1/3 cup fresh salsa

     2 tablespoons jarred green salsa

     2 tablespoons fat free Greek yogurt

Poke the potato on all sides with a fork and microwave it for 6 minutes, 3 minutes on each side. (May need to be longer depending on the size of the potato.) Meanwhile, cook the turkey over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until it is brown on all sides, breaking it into bite-size chunks as you do this. Then, cut open the potato and load it with the fresh salsa, then the turkey, and then the green salsa. Top with the yogurt and enjoy!

3. Get enough sleep. I know that when I don't get enough sleep, not only am I cranky but I'm also super unmotivated. All I want to do is go back to bed. However, I have found that if I make myself get eight hours of sleep every night even if my homework isn't all the way done when I go to bed, I always have the energy and drive to get it done the next morning, plus I do a way better job on it than I would in the middle of the night. Sometimes when you're stressed it can be difficult to get to sleep, but there are lots of apps that will play soothing sounds for you to get your mind off of things. Or, try this website and add music in the background as well. It's so nice.

4. Budget. Money can be a huge stressor when you have to pay tuition, rent, car payments, gas money, feed yourself, and maybe have a little fun every now and then. Studies have shown that people who budget their money are happier, and probably less stressed as well! I'm all about apps today but there is this awesome one I found called Mint. Now that I can see where my money is going and plan how much I'm going to spend and save, life is so much less daunting.

5. Breathe. Just remember, you'll end up getting everything done, and even if you don't, life will go on. I find it helpful when times get tough to spend a few minutes breathing, stretching, or meditating. The best thing ever to do is look up a guided meditation on YouTube. You feel amazing after and they don't even have to be long. Plus, it can put you right to sleep if you have too much on your mind. Here is a short one and here is a longer, but good one.

Stress and burnout are real things that are definitely affecting me, and I'm sure it's the same for a lot of you right now. But I know that by taking care of yourself you can make it through... and even make life a little easier in the process!

We'll make it.

How do you say "I'm terrified" in French?

This was the story of probably the most terrifying but most rewarding moment in my life. I went to France after my first year at SUU for my EDGE (Education Designed to Give Experience) project. This is a program where you choose from one of five centers on campus - Outdoor, Leadership, Creativity, Community, and Global - and design your own project to do outside of the classroom. I chose to do a study abroad and it was definitely amazing: incredible food, museums, shopping, amazing food, school, beaches, hikes, new friends (and delicious food).

I had been taking French in school for seven years but I wasn't super confident in my ability to actually speak it to people, especially when I got there and tried to talk to my host family and all the students in my class, who were amazing at French. But, the longer I stayed, the better I became, and eventually it was all summed up in the situation described here. I missed my train and was all alone in a giant train station where no one spoke very good English. As I'm sure you can imagine, I was scared out of my mind, but I made it. It turns out my French actually was good enough for me to find myself a new ticket and the train I needed, and I've never felt more proud of myself.

If it wasn't for the EDGE program, I probably never would have had this amazing opportunity to spend a month of my life in France and grow personally in ways I couldn't even imagine at the time. Plus, I got to knock out half the credits I needed for my French minor in just four weeks, in a different country, while paying the same tuition I pay at SUU. It was basically winning all around.

And the food... ahhh.

It starts with a D and ends with ecisions.

If you've been reading my blog for a while, I'm sure you came to this realization long before I did, but I'm just going to come out and say it. My greatest fear is making decisions and I don't know how to face it.

I mean, I should have figured this out a long time ago, honestly. My entire life, I have either jumped into things without thinking about them or put them off until I was forced to do something. I only applied to one college, for heaven's sake. If that's not a fear of decisions, I don't know what is. And you have patiently read about my antics of changing majors and going on missions and other madness.

Unfortunately, I am nearing time to make one of the bigger decisions of my life so far: graduate school. I've already decided that I'm going, and after much deliberation, decided that I'm going to do student affairs. Just reaching those two conclusions has been awful enough. But obviously, I can't only apply to one school like I could for SUU because I don't have the knowledge that I will get in for sure. I'm panicking and I haven't even applied anywhere yet!

But seriously, even thinking about the whole process of applying and then deciding what to do makes me want to curl up under 20 blankets and never come out. I know it's not that big of a deal and that I'll know what to do when the time comes, but for some reason my body can't process that. I never get stressed out about anything except for this. I need help.

Someone tell me how to get over my fear of decision making without making decisions.

Forever red.

This past weekend was my last homecoming as an undergrad, and it could not have been more of an adventure.

Luckily, I got work off at the last minute. I was super pumped that I would actually be able to go to the football game, since it's my last year and all. Unfortunately, because of work and homework and doing an open house for SUU in Provo, I couldn't attend any of the activities Monday through Thursday.

Friday finally arrived and with it came Colby, who drove up from St. George to entertain his college girlfriend's homecoming excitement. The plan for Friday night was to go to Forever Red, which is always a big concert with free food, fun, and fireworks, and then of course to go to true T-bird afterward. We made pork quesadillas right before going to Forever Red even though there was going to be free food, because according to Colby: "When they say there's going to be free food, there's never food." (Amateur.)

I was a little nervous that Colby was going to think this whole homecoming thing was super lame, because first of all he went to UVU and secondly, he told me his first impression of me was that I was going to be an obnoxious girl obsessed with her school. (He still hasn't figured out that's exactly who I am... shh.) Luckily my fears were abated when we got to campus and were greeted by an a cappella quartet composed of 50-year-old men. Definitely the coolest and most un-lame thing that could happen.

We met up with some friends, got free food (which there was plenty of), and watched some great opening acts and fireworks before Hellogoodbye finally appeared onstage. They were incredible, just like I remembered from middle school, and even ended with my favorite song of theirs: Oh, It Is Love.

Then, it came time for true T-bird. Let me just explain that the worst thing that could have happened during homecoming week at SUU happened: I got a cold sore. The stresses of life became too much for my little body to bear and so from my lip sprouted a hideous fever blister. Luckily, though, my relationship is not based solely on looks and with the help of modern medicine, that blemish subsided enough for me to make my boyfriend a true T-bird. The real highlight, though, was watching some girl rape-kiss a member of Hellogoodbye. Classic.

The next morning, 7:00 came early as did the realization that I had made a horrible error: signing up to run the SUUper Sorrel 5K when I haven't run any distance at all since June and also it was an all time high temperature of 32 degrees outside. I reluctantly bundled up in all my Nike gear: shoes, socks, hoodie, gloves (and Forever 21 tights... no one can afford tights from Nike) and headed out the door to the starting line.

Mile 1 was a piece of cake. Then Mile 2 hit and I started choking on the bone-chilling cold air and almost threw up on the side of the trail. Then my cheap tights kept falling down and my ponytail kept falling out and my music kept getting too loud and too quiet. Then I hit Mile 3 and told myself I would run the rest of the way even though my foot really hurt. By the time I crossed the finish line I was literally near death. But there, lo and behold, was this saint waiting for me with cinnamon rolls and chocolate milk. Hashtag luckiest girl ever.

We went back to my house to eat and shower before going to the parade. The weather had magically turned bearable and I was supposed to actually be in the parade with all my PA friends, but my foot was seriously messed up from that run so I opted to sit on the curb and enjoy.

The tailgate was next, where Colby broke his 8 year long no-hot-dog streak and I accidentally nailed some kid with a football.

And finally, the homecoming game. We played Portland State and it was a lot of back-and-forth and a lot of standing on my practically broken foot, but SUU pulled it off, I learned the fight song, and Thor got to ride in a helicopter, so it was basically winning all around. I even convinced Colby to wear an SUU shirt and cheer for my team.

All in all, I wouldn't change a single part of my last homecoming. This weekend, along with everything else going on in my life lately, is bordering on perfection.

"Fall" in love with SUU. (Get it?)

If I could choose my favorite time of the year in Cedar City, it would definitely be October. Even though school is getting more serious and professors give out the bulk of their assignments for the semester during this month, there is nothing quite like walking to class in the crisp autumn air and going out of your way to step on crunchy-looking leaves.

This month it's finally time to put on boots and scarves and curl up in the library with a cup of white hot chocolate and a good book (or a textbook...). And then on the weekends, to put on your favorite oversized SUU sweater and cheer on our T-birds at the football game.

It's time for haunted houses that are put together by the greeks on campus, and to start getting together an original costume for the huge Halloween party known as the Scream that happens at the end of the month.

It's time to bundle up for Forever Red, the concert under the starts that happens for homecoming week, and to start putting on chapstick more often in preparation for true T-bird night.

It's time to gather all your friends for the next season of the Walking Dead.

It's time to start running on the indoor track in the PE Building when you're too scared to brave the cold mornings, and time for afternoon bike rides in Cedar Canyon underneath the changing leaves.

It's time to grab some warm cider and a blanket and watch the homecoming parade on Saturday morning.

It's time to start Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings movie marathons and eat s'mores with your roommates on nights it gets dark and cold too early.

Basically, it's time just to cherish being at SUU in October, because it's the best.

Chaos.

I'm resisting the temptation to begin this post with the words "It's already October." I know you know. We all know and we're all pumped! October is the month of pumpkin spice eggnog, crunching leaves, boots and leggings, changing colors, crisp air, canyon bike rides, haunted houses... Basically the best time of the year.

I'm hoping and praying that I will find the time to enjoy it, seeing as how my life lately has been chaos. I'm still working at the treatment center that I've been working at since April, but in addition to that I have taken on the responsibility of managing the #tbirdnation blog and the admissions Instagram page, as well as helping out with other social media. Plus taking 12 upper division credits and institute and probably getting a church calling. Good thing I'm happiest when I'm busiest! For real though.

However, in the relatively small amount of down time I have had recently, I've managed to pull off a few fun activities: nighttime mini golf and board games, a really interesting yoga class, a delicious and eventful birthday party for my roommate, a bike ride through Snow Canyon, and a trip to Sand Hollow. I just realized that even my free time isn't really that relaxing. (Yoga should have been... but just visit Sage Hills and you'll understand.)

In light of this, my goals for the rest of this semester need to include taking time for myself. I've been attempting to relax by watching Mad Men and have made it through a whopping one episode. So, over the next few weeks I plan on watching a few more episodes, spending some time with my family, and going to a normal yoga class. And maybe taking a few more YouTube breaks, because we all need more of those.

Here'e the winner of my favorite one I've seen lately! Watch it all the way to the end.

Why I love C-City.

Sometimes you may come across people who will say to you: "Why would you want to live in Cedar City? It's so small and boring." You may have even wondered these things yourself before you visited this little town. However, as anyone who has lived here can tell you, it's definitely the opposite of boring. Here are the top five reasons I love C-City, in no particular order.

1. The location. As I said in my last post, we live so close to so many awesome things. National parks, St. George, lakes, campgrounds, hot springs... you name it, we are most likely near it. Even Las Vegas is only two and a half hours away! I've spent a few nights seeing the lights down there myself.

2. Activities. Even if there's not something to do on campus (which there almost always is), there are plenty of things to do around Cedar. There are three movie theatres, one of which is a historic discount theatre where you can see shows for so cheap. There's a bowling alley and an old school skating rink, and in the winter there's an outdoor ice skating rink as well. There are plenty of hills for sledding and ice blocking, and tons of fields and parks for playing sports. It's basically impossible to run out of things to do.

3. The outdoors. When I say this, I don't only mean the national parks and hiking that are around. There's so much to do even in the boundaries of the city! There are running and biking trails that are surrounded by gorgeous scenery. A few campgrounds are less than 20 minutes away, and if you're in the mood for a bonfire, grab some friends and take them to one of the many spots that are nearby. Even in the winter, Cedar is gorgeous, because while we have similar temperatures and snowfall to the Salt Lake Valley, we don't have the inversion.

4. The shopping. You might be thinking, "Where on earth would you go shopping in Cedar City?" but let me tell you, there are some pretty cool stores! We have Rue 21, Sports Authority, Famous Footwear, and other popular stores, but we also have some real gems down Main Street. There is a shop that has an old fashioned soda fountain inside, as well as multiple thrift stores, a comic book shop, a used book store combined with a fantastic coffee shop, and many others. You'll have to check them out for yourself!

5. The food. Trust me when I say there are some amazing restaurants around here. It's hard to pick my favorite between Centro (wood-fired pizza), Brody's (amazing and authentic Mexican food), Boulangerie Marie (cute little French bakery), Pastry Pub (to-die-for Shakespearean sandwich shop), and all the other eateries around Cedar. There are even steakhouses tucked into Cedar Canyon and of course we have the new drive-thru soda stops that have been the craze lately. I spend way too much money eating out but it really is so worth it.

So, hopefully you have the chance to spend some time getting to know Cedar City. Maybe you'll find some hidden treasures that even I don't know about!